Out now on consoles and PC is The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak II. This is the latest entry in the much-celebrated and decades-long franchise from Nihon Falcom. Since starting my journey with this franchise several years ago, I have fallen in love with this world and its characters. Will The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak II continue that track record?
Honestly, no. Sadly, The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak II is easily the weakest entry in the franchise for a multitude of reasons. One such reason is the lack of real innovation in the gameplay. There are some slight alterations in combat which honestly complicate matters. You can combine attacks within your party of four, but unlike previous entries, it doesn’t feel nearly as impressive. This comes down to the choice of using less animation in favour of more CGI cutscenes. This aspect is a nitpick for me, but it complies on top of the other issues.
For example, a lot of the arts of the playable characters are the exact same as those from the previous game. The abilities level up, but you don’t learn any more unique abilities. Van may learn a new S-Craft, as does Agnes but that’s about it, unfortunately. Everyone else pretty much gets upgraded arts, but they don’t aesthetically look any different.
Another issue which makes no sense to me is players start at Level 1 in The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak II. This is a break from every other entry in the franchise. If you went into a sequel a portion of your levels would usually carry over, as well as the choices you made in the previous game. This made each entry flow effortlessly into the next. Unfortunately, this is not the case in this game.
Bear the nightmare
There are other recycled elements from previous entries, such as the Garten which feels like a less interesting version of the Reverie. The Garten is a digital space in the game where you can learn secrets and grind your character’s levels, as well as upgrade their abilities making them stronger. It’s design is decent, but a lot of it involves killing a certain number of enemies or destroying a set amount of boxes before you can move on and it gets dull quickly.
Now you may think with all these negatives that I didn’t enjoy The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak II. That is not the case, there are still several elements that players will enjoy. The plot of this game is engaging. Players follow Van and the gang as they uncover a sinister plot involving a crimson Grendel and the final Genesis and it is fascinating. Especially when branching timelines are brought into the narrative. This new mechanic is an interesting aspect which adds a sinister twist to the story.
Another returning element that I always enjoy is the Spriggan quests. These sidequests add a lot of character and colour to the narrative and the returning moral system is still a lot of fun. You fall in love with the citizens of Calvard and Messeldam, and try to solve their plights with your motley crew.
Though The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak II is easily the weakest entry of The Legend of Heroes franchise it is still a lot of fun. I feel I’m only so harsh because there is a sense of complacency with this latest entry. Every other entry to this point has set such a high bar and as we reach the climax of the Zemuria saga I felt as the penultimate chapter, The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak II should have done better.
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